title: Prevention of infectious diseases in cat shelters: ABCD guidelines.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recommendations are given in relation to infectious diseases in rescue shelters. The ABCD recognises that there is a wide variation in the design and management of shelters, and that these largely reflect local pressures. These guidelines are written with this diverse audience in mind; they point to the ideal, and also provide for some level of compromise where this ideal cannot immediately be attained. In addition consideration should be given to general requirements in order to optimise overall health and wellbeing of cats within the shelter. HOUSING: Compartmentalisation of the shelter into at least three individual sections (quarantine area for incoming cats, isolation facilities for sick or potentially infectious cats, and accommodation for clinically healthy, retrovirus-negative cats) can facilitate containment of a disease outbreak, should it occur. STANDARD OF CARE: Incoming cats should receive a full health check by a veterinary surgeon, should be dewormed and tested for retrovirus infections (feline leukaemia virus [FeLV] and/or feline immunodeficiency virus [FIV]) in regions with high prevalence and in shelters that allow contact between cats. Cats which are not rehomed should receive a regular veterinary check-up at intervals recommended by their veterinarian.
  Each cat should be vaccinated as soon as possible against feline panleukopenia virus (FPV), feline herpesvirus (FHV-1) and feline calicivirus (FCV) infections. HYGIENE: Adequate hygiene conditions should ensure that contact between shedders of infectious agents and susceptible animals is reduced as efficiently as possible by movement control, hygiene procedures of care workers, barrier nursing, cleaning and disinfection. STRESS REDUCTION: Stress reduction is important for overall health and for minimising the risk of recrudescence and exacerbation of infectious diseases. In general, a special effort should be made to rehome cats as soon as possible.
authors.affiliation: European Advisory Board on Cat Diseases. karin.moestl@vu-wien.ac.at
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Möstl
authors.forename: Herman
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Egberink
authors.forename: Diane
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Addie
authors.forename: Tadeusz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Frymus
authors.forename: Corine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Boucraut-Baralon
authors.forename: Uwe
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Truyen
authors.forename: Katrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hartmann
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lutz
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gruffydd-Jones
authors.forename: Alan D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Radford
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lloret
authors.forename: Maria Grazia
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Pennisi
authors.forename: Margaret J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Hosie
authors.forename: Fulvio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Marsilio
authors.forename: Etienne
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Thiry
authors.forename: Sándor
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Belák
authors.forename: Marian C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Horzinek
mesh_terms: D000822:Animal Husbandry / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D000827:Animal Welfare / Q000592:standards; D000818:Animals; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002415:Cats; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000662:veterinary*; D005260:Female; D006799:Housing, Animal / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011790:Quarantine; D015047:Zoonoses